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How do I pick one thing as the best thing I've learned in this class? After a very long brainstorm, I have come to the realization that the greatest thing this course taught me was the ability to create my own lesson plans, as well as how to structure them to set myself, and my students up for success. First of all, before this course I didn't even know what a lesson plan was, so when it came to the lesson that would teach me all about planning a lesson I knew I had to buckle down. This course taught me how to correctly engage my students by warming them up and preparing them to speak, as well as think in English. For example, upon class starting I will be able to make sure each and every one of my students is engaged in conversation, and getting prepared for the next stage of the lesson. An example of the Engage portion on the first day of class would be to go around the room, and ask every student their names, as well as an interesting fact about them they would like the class to know. Furthermore, in the Study section of a lesson, this course taught me how to correctly drill pronunciation, as well as give exercises to continue to make sure that each and every one of my students knows and understands to their fullest capabilities what was taught to them. For example, after the conclusion of the Engage portion, I could hand out worksheets, and allow the students to work in pairs or groups to complete the assignment. While this was taking place I would also make sure to monitor the classroom correctly. Upon the completion of the task I would then continue to go over the correct answers, while using the white board to write the answers to make sure that everybody comprehends. In the Activate phase, this course gave me tools to make sure that my students are communicating with each other. For example, I could use a game such as BINGO (lesson 10 videos) to let each and every one of my students communicate with each other while also adding a fun element into the class. Creating lesson plans will also put the class in a set schedule, which will allow myself to know when it is time to move on. For example, if the class is 45 minutes in length, I could set 5 minutes for the Engage phase, as well as allow up to 10 minutes for the study phase of our lesson. Doing this would allow for up to 30 minutes in the activate phase. Which would allow for the maximum amount of time spend with the students actually communicating with each other, building the necessary skills. In conclusion, this course taught me many valuable things, but I believe that the most important thing I was taught was how to create a lesson plan. Having this skill will allow me to structure class periods into different phases, and get my students in the correct mindset to make sure they are prepared to learn.
